Life with microcephaly in war-torn Afghanistan – in pictures

In an impoverished country where support is limited at best, people with disabilities must look to their families for help. Mahgul, 69, is the sole carer for her four siblings, who suffer from microcephaly – a birth defect that prevents the skull from growing. The condition is so rare in Afghanistan that there is no specialist treatment available

Text and photographs by Tahmina Saleem

Tahmina Saleem

Main image:
Habiba, 77, sits in her house in Kabul, Afghanistan
Photograph: Tahmina Saleem

Mon 14 May 2018 02.00 EDT
Last modified on Mon 14 May 2018 06.13 EDT

Mahgul, 69, prepares dough to make bread in her kitchen in Kabul

Mahgul has tried single-handedly to provide for her siblings over the years. She used to have a cow, whose milk she sold for a meagre sum, but the task became too difficult as she got older and she was forced to sell the animal. She never had the chance to pursue her own dreams or get married, a particularly tough fate for women in Afghanistan, where there are few opportunities for economic independence

Mahgul’s sisters and brother

Microcephaly is largely a genetic condition, but it can also be caused by a range of other factors, such as being exposed to harmful substances during foetal development. Because congenital microcephaly is so rare in Afghanistan, there is no specialist treatment available to those who have it

Two of Mahgul’s sisters – Habiba (left), 77, and Shafiqa, 67

As well as suffering from microcephaly, Shafiqa experiences chronic leg pain, and finds everyday tasks a challenge. Despite this, she is currently the household’s breadwinner. While Mahgul tends to her siblings, her sister works at a nearby farm, usually receiving food in place of wages

Mahgul’s brother Barat, 70

While most countries have the resources to offer professional care to those in need, they are scarce in Afghanistan. If people with disabilities don’t have the help of their families, society’s most vulnerable people are left to suffer

Mahgul’s sister Hanifa, 72

The siblings’ home is on the southern outskirts of Kabul, near neighbouring Logar province, and built of traditional adobe mud and straw. Mahgul says that collectively, five people own their house – one of them being her uncle. It is old and falling apart, and has not had any maintenance for decades

Shafiqa washes her hands before lunch

‘As a photographer, I have always been drawn to stories that are completely unknown to the outside world,’ says Tahmina Saleem. ‘I want to show people a different side of Afghanistan besides the usual misery of everyday war’

Hanifa washes the dishes

Saleem points out that 17 years have passed since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban. ‘Sometimes, it feels like we are going backwards. Since the NATO-led forces stopped their combat mission four years ago, the Taliban has made a strong comeback, and now more than half of the country is under Taliban control. Thankfully, the capital, where I live, has been spared, but militant attacks are extremely common. Mahgul recently lost a relative to one such attack’